Md. health exchange frustrations come amid dropped coverage

Some insurers dropping plans; Experts say that was expected

Aside from the HealthCare.gov debacle, Maryland's state-run health care exchange is under scrutiny over concerns that tens of thousands of Marylanders' health insurance may not make the grade under the Affordable Care Act.

According to the most recent data released by the Maryland Health Connection, the state website has had more than 308,000 unique visitors since Oct. 1. Roughly 3,200 people have enrolled for insurance in the state.

But signing up hasn't been the most pleasant of experiences for Pikesville resident Christopher Coon, who told 11 News his coverage will be dropped, and he's scrambling to sign up on the state's website that is asking at least one strange question.

"I go to this website. It doesn't work, I call customer support, and they can't do it," he said.

The single Pikesville resident said he's tried several times to enroll, but each time he comes across a peculiar problem when the program asks questions about the household.

"On the left, there's me, and I have to choose how I'm related to myself. Then I look to see if there is a 'self' box in here? No. There's no choice to tell them I am myself," Coon said.

If he tries to skip it, he gets an error message.

The healthy 44-year-old is stuck because his insurance company, Aetna, said a month ago that it was dropping his plan Dec. 31 because it is not participating in Maryland's health care exchange, and therefore the company has to terminate its plans that are not grandfathered into the Affordable Care Act.

"It's just endless frustration. Everything was fine for the past six years that I've had Aetna, and suddenly I have to scramble to get this new insurance, and I can't," Coon said.

He's not alone. The Washington Post reported that nine insurers plan to drop 70,000 people from coverage in Maryland by January because their plans do not comply with the Affordable Care Act.

But one expert said reports like that are misleading.

"It's scaring people unnecessarily," said Vinny DeMarco, the president of the Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative, a group that helped the state implement health care reform. He said most people who have been dropped will be better off under the new law.

"As of Jan. 1, 2014, they are going to have a lot more options than they have now, and they are going to have the subsidies available. They're going to have plans that really provide healthcare coverage," DeMarco said.

Maryland Health Secretary Joshua Sharfstein said it should come as no surprise to Marylanders that insurers are dropping some plans. He said in multiple public meetings, it was well-documented that insurance companies would have to change their plans in order to comply with the Affordable Care Act.

RIGHT NOW, OBAMACARE IS UNDER MORE FIRE THAN EVER. MARYLAND STATE HEALTH EXCHANGES ALSO UNDER SCRUTINY TONIGHT AFTER CONCERNS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MARYLAND OR HEALTH INSURANCE MAY NOT MAKE THE GRADE ON THE THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT. DATA RELEASED BY THE HEALTH CONNECTION, THAT WEBSITE HAS HAD MORE THAN 308 VOWS IN UNIQUE VISITORS SINCE OCTOBER 1. ROUGHLY 3500 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ENROLLED TODAY. SIGNING UP HAS NOT BEEN THE MOST POSITIVE EXPERIENCE FOR ONE MAN. GEORGE JOINS US LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM. HIS COVERAGE WILL BE DROPPED AND HE IS NOW SCRAMBLING TO GET ON THE STATE WEBSITE. ASKING AT LEAST ONE STRANGE QUESTION. YOU COULD SAY CHRIS RIVER IS TECH SAVVY. HE IS A SOFTWARE DEVELOPER. MARYLAND'S NEW HEALTH CARE EXCHANGE WEBSITE HAS HIM STUMPED. QWEST I CALL CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND THEY CANNOT DO IT. QWEST THE SINGLE RESIDENT SAYS HE TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO ENROLL BUT IF TIME COMES ACROSS EIGHT -- A PARTICULAR PROBLEM. ON THE LEFT, IT HAS ME AND I HAVE TO CHOOSE HOW I AM RELATED TO MYSELF. IS THERE A SELF BOX? NO. THERE IS NO CHOICE TO TELL THEM I AM MYSELF. QWEST IF HE TRIES TO SKIP IT, HE GETS AN ERROR MESSAGE. HE IS STUCK BECAUSE ONE MONTH AGO, HIS INSURANCE COMPANY SAID IT WAS DROPPING ITS LAND BECAUSE IT IS NOT DISSIPATING IN MARYLAND'S HEALTH EXCHANGE PROGRAM AND THEREFORE HAS TO TERMINATE PLANS NOT GRANDFATHERED INTO THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT. AND LEE FROST -- ENDLESS FRUSTRATION. EVERYTHING HAS BEEN FINE FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS AND I SUDDENLY HAVE TO SCRAMBLE TO GET THE NEW INSURANCE AND I CANNOT. QWEST HE IS NOT ALONE. NINE INSURERS PLAN TO DROP 70,000 PEOPLE FROM COVERAGE IN MARYLAND BY JANUARY. THEY DO NOT COMPLY WITH THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT. IT SCARES PEOPLE UNNECESSARILY. VINNY IS -- VINNY IS PRESIDENT OF A GROUP THAT HELPED THE STATE IMPLEMENT HEALTH-CARE REFORM. HE SAYS MOST PEOPLE WHO HAPPEN DROPPED WILL BE BETTER OFF UNDER THE NEW LAW. AS OF JANUARY FIRST, TWO THOUSAND 14, THEY WILL HAVE A LOT MORE OPTIONS THAN THEY HAVE NOW. THEY WILL HAVE SUBSIDIES AVAILABLE AND PLANS THAT REALLY PROVIDE HEALTH CARE COVERAGE. ICEBOAT WITH THE MARYLAND HEALTH SECRETARY TONIGHT. HE SAID IT SHOULD COME AS NO SURPRISE TO PEOPLE IN MARYLAND INSURERS ARE DROPPING PLANS. IN MULTIPLE PUBLIC MEETINGS, HE SAYS IT HAS BEEN WELL DOCUMENTED

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